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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Oyster Sauce Meatballs

I grew up in an Americanized household. Unfortunately, that meant that my sisters and I didn't learn to speak Japanese the way our grandparents could. But, luckily, we still kept the Asian influence in our food. Of course, that meant that our kitchen pantry was usually stocked with 20-pound bags of rice, gallon jugs of soy sauce, and large bottles of oyster sauce. Believe me, we went through a lot of that stuff very quickly.

One of the dishes we enjoyed growing up was an oyster sauce chicken and broccoli dish. One night, however, I didn't have any chicken or broccoli, but I did have ground turkey and some other vegetables. So, I decided to improvise and made Oyster Sauce Meatballs instead. I threw in some carrots and celery too to make it healthy. I was totally pleased with how it all turned out. The flavors melded together deliciously and the red pepper flakes that I added in gave it a nice little kick. This new recipe is going to be a keeper in my book and will make an appearance in my Asian kitchen for years to come.

Combine the ingredients for the meatballs. Form the meatballs, then bake at 350F for about 25 min. While the meatballs are baking, combine the ingredients for the sauce in a large pan and set aside.

Saute the carrots and celery in a pan until they are tender but still crunchy, about 3-5 min. Set aside.

Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce. Put the pan over medium heat until the sauce begins to boil. Once it starts to boil, add the cornstarch and water mixture until the sauce reaches your desired thickness. Add the carrots and celery to the meatballs and keep cooking for about 10 min. until everything is heated through. Serve over rice.

What a delicious creation! Never made Oyster sauce meatballs before but I think my kids would definitely love these. LOL...my kitchen pantry sounds like yours too...always filled with 20+ pound of rice, gallons of soy sauce and the essential large bottle of oyster sauce. :)